Press Ahead: K-State's Geary driven to make strong push

Topeka High product Will Geary is listed as one of two backups to defensive tackle Valentino Coleman on K-State's first depth chart of the season leading up to the Stephen F. Austin game Saturday in Manhattan.

Press Ahead is a weekly Kansas State blog that takes a closer look at something Bill Snyder mentioned during his weekly news conference. This week’s blog focuses on defensive tackle Will Geary.

When Kansas State on Tuesday released its first depth chart of the season, at least a few people probably were surprised to see redshirt freshman Will Geary listed as one of two backups to starting defensive tackle Valentino Coleman.

Topeka High coach Walt Alexander, who coached Geary during the 2009 through 2012 seasons, wasn’t one of the few.

“Knowing Will’s strength and how driven he is, it didn’t surprise me much because we kind of knew,” Alexander said. “Being a redshirt freshman, it’s kind of surprising, but he’s so strong and so driven.”

The keys to Geary’s early success in Bill Snyder’s program are the very things Alexander mentioned. Ask Snyder or any of the Wildcats about the 6-foot, 290-pound Topekan, and all are quick to echo Alexander’s thoughts.

“Will is probably the strongest man I’ve ever seen,” said Coleman, the 6-2, 285-pound senior who is doing his best to keep Geary in a reserve role. “He’s strong, athletic, fast. He can make a big impact on this D-line. He’s the future of this D-line because his work ethic is crazy.”

Funny thing is Geary would have been the future of Pittsburg State’s defensive line had he listened to Alexander and many of those in his inner circle.

The two-time Class 6A state wrestling champ and winner of the 2013 National High School Coaches Association heavyweight title attracted recruiting interest from a number of top college wrestling programs – including Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Nebraska.

But Geary’s heart always was set on football. Those closest to him understood that and were fine with the decision. They just weren’t sure K-State, which offered only a walk-on opportunity, was the right choice.

“We all were trying to tell him to go to Pittsburg State and take that scholarship, take the money,” said Alexander, a K-State graduate. “People really encouraged him to go to Pitt State because we thought he’d start right away and get to play. There was no guarantee at K-State. There was no scholarship, no nothing except getting in there and getting to work.

“I was helping him weigh the pros and cons of K-State and Pitt State. I had a list of pros for Pitt State and not very many pros for K-State, but he said, ‘Coach, I’m a D-I. I want to play D-I.’ And that was it. Will was bound and determined. He never wavered from going to K-State.”

Such determination has served Geary well since before he ever stepped foot on the campus at Topeka High.

Alexander remembers hearing legendary stories about the mammoth prospect when Geary was only in middle school. He also readily admits that he didn’t put much stock into the tales.

“Everybody kept saying, ‘You’ve got to see this Will Geary kid. Wait ‘til he gets up here,’” Alexander said. “You hear it all the time, and I just kind of blew it off – you know, big, fat kid down in junior high; I’m sure he’s beating up on all the little kids. You don’t even pay attention.”

That changed quickly during the summer of 2009 when Alexander found himself in dire need of defensive linemen. The fat kid wasn't so fat, but he was about to make Alexander eat his words and reconsider his stance on seldom promoting freshmen to the varsity level.

“We really needed a nose guard, and we brought him up and his freshman year he was the best football player on the field,” Alexander said matter-of-factly. “It only took about two practices for me to watch him and I knew he was pretty special.”

Geary reinforced that initial impression throughout his prep career when he:

-- Was honored as city defensive player of the year as both a junior and senior.

-- Was named to The Capital-Journal’s All-State Top 11 as a senior.

-- Captured the two state wrestling crowns, going 29-1 as senior when his lone loss came against three-time state champ Nathan Butler, a Leavenworth star who now grapples at Stanford.

-- Competed for the baseball and track and field programs.

Oh, and let’s not forget his weight-room feats. By the time Geary left the halls of Troy, he took with him the school’s records for squat and power clean – “the two most important lifts for a football player,” Alexander noted. Geary cleaned nearly 400 pounds and exceeded 600 pounds in the squat.

“That record won’t be broken for a long time,” Alexander said.

Those achievements and accolades were enough to catch K-State’s attention, so much so that Alexander says associate head coach Sean Snyder has “always loved” Geary and “always been in his corner.” They just weren’t enough to overshadow his 6-foot frame and convince the K-State staff to put him on scholarship.

“When (K-State) was in the recruiting process, I just don’t think they understood what they were getting. Now they do,” Alexander said. “I tried to explain it to them because once you’re around him all the time you understand how hard he goes and how physical he is, but it’s hard until you see it.

“I think the thing that separates Will from other strong kids is that kid never gets tired. He just goes. If you ever watched him wrestle or ever watched him play football, he just never gets tired. He never complains, never gets tired. He’s so robotic, I guess.”

Now, with the No. 20 Wildcats set to begin the season against Stephen F. Austin at 6:10 p.m. Saturday, Geary is on the verge of putting his relentless motor on display for a sold-out Snyder Family Stadium. He and Demonte Hood, a 6-0, 303-pound sophomore, are listed as a co-backups behind Coleman, but K-State’s iconic coach all but guaranteed Geary would see the field.

“Will’s right there,” Bill Snyder said. “He’ll get active in the rotation with our inside front two. (He’s a) prince of a guy, rolls up his sleeves and just a guy everybody ought to be proud of.”

The Wildcats welcomed a number of notable junior college transfers during the past few weeks, including Terrell Clinkscales, a defensive tackle who made 40 stops and 3.5 sacks last season for Dodge City Community College. Clinkscales was a second-team NJCAA All-American who was rated the nation’s fourth-best juco tackle by ESPN.

That leads many K-State pundits to believe it only is a matter of time before Clinkscales displaces one of the interior linemen on K-State’s two-deep -- or at least gives Geary and his peers a serious push for playing time.

If that proves to be the case, Alexander knows his former star will welcome the competition.

“He always wanted to see the best. He always wanted to wrestle the best. He always wanted to play against the best in football,” Alexander said. “He never backs away from a challenge. He’s just driven that way.

“He’s not one of those kids that’s just going to coast on his record and try to dodge somebody because he wants to keep his perfect, undefeated season. That doesn’t matter to him. He wants to be challenged because he knows it’s going to make him better.”

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That entire starting team had tons of talent, natural talent, talent that had developed from years of all those kids playing together in little leagues with awesome coaches that taught them essential football fundamentals. It was a privilege to watch that group play. I am happy for all the players that continued their football careers, they worked hard and earned it, most likely with very little help from Coach Alexander.

I got the pleasure of coaching Will in grade school. Will has always been a natural talent and put the work in in high school to get to this level, but trust me Will would be this good if played @ H.P., West or any other school. Coaching had nothing to do with it.

Walt Alexander is the best thing that every happened to Topeka High football. He brought that program up from nothing and continues to develop any talent that walks though those doors. I'm sure that Will would credit Alexander with much kudos as he teaches the kids to go hard "Every Play," and that is regardless of in season or out which is where the key to the success of the program lies- in the dedication Alexander is able to draw out of his players throughout the entire year.